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Miller Shopmate 300DX

02-16-2014, 05:19 PM

Hello fellow welders,

My name is John, And I'm looking at getting a Shopmate 300DX, I'll have the 22a feeder with the 15ft q300 on it, and I want to get a spoolgun or a pushpull gun on it.
Which aluminum gun would be the best to go on it?
And I kinda want a remote feeder witrh about a fifty foot reach on it, I'll mostly run flux-core.
I'll have a lot of questions on it from bumper to bumper, So bear with me,
I have cash.

My name is John, And I'm looking at getting a Shopmate 300DX, I'll have the 22a feeder with the 15ft q300 on it, and I want to get a spoolgun or a pushpull gun on it.
Which aluminum gun would be the best to go on it?
And I kinda want a remote feeder witrh about a fifty foot reach on it, I'll mostly run flux-core.
I'll have a lot of questions on it from bumper to bumper, So bear with me,
I have cash.

~John

Just a 30A spool-gun would be pretty good,(Plug, and play) Many options as far as Push-pull goes.. I run a LN-25 pro on mine for a remote feeder, and just jumper the 10 pin contactor Spool-gun contactor for power. RCH-14 control would be best for 50 away from the power source. I also have a Lincoln LF-72 for my cable control feeder. The Shopmate 300DX is one of the most underrated Miller machines made. Miller did a real nice job with it's chopper power supply. Excellent on all processes, but somewhat simplistic tig. Like most multi-process welding machines. Nice tig arc though. Aluminum welds very nice too on that machine. I prefer it's MS mig arc over a MM-350p or MM-252 by quite a bit.Welds different, and I think better.(IMO) Great arc starts too. I have never been a fan of the 252, and figured I could live with the 350 p if I had too.

Comment

Well, I will mostly use it for Wire feeding, prolly just a 30amp sg with 3/64 aluminum, .035 shortcircut, and some .045 spray. A little .045 flux cored on a 50ft suitcase feeder, for some heavy equipment welding, 400 amps is some real power.
I'll also do alot of stick welding with it, any where from 1/8 6010 rooting and 1/8 7018 capping, to large 1/4 7024, and some carbon arc gouging, and some hardfacing.
I'll probably never tig with it, as I'll have a Syncro 250DX.
Any Shopmate owners/operators here???
I'd like to pick your brain on them.

Oh yeah, one more thing, I'll need a 100amp breaker for 400amps, Right????

~John

Life is to short for cheap tools.

Comment

I have mine plugged into a 60 amp 240 volt line. Might need more if you are carbon arcing, but I highly doubt it. I have a 100 amp too but never needed it. I rang it out with some .052 dual shield just to see how it would do on power. Maybe if you did a lot of this, you might need more breaker. again I doubt it...

Comment

I thought I read somewhere that it needed a 57amp breaker at 250 weldingamps, on 230volt.
If that rating is true, breaker amps go up fast, considering I am going to be doing some high amp, high duty cycle work.
I'll Just have a large 200amp shopwide breaker system, because I will be running lots of equipment, including a seperate 3phase set-up.
I won't have to worry about power shortages
Anyway, the main reason I am looking into the machine is the 1phase 400amps and the somewhat smaller machine, and the great price, considering the features I would be getting.

Anybody out there run a spoolgun off it, Or any Aluminum for that matter????

~John

Life is to short for cheap tools.

Comment

I run a Tweco Eliminator torque assist gun with my LF-72 feeder. It's got a great standard aluminum arc. That is comparing it to many welding machines I have used or owned. It's just a solid, and fairly simple machine to use. Does nice on the arc starts on aluminum, and everything really. I really think the stick is outstanding too. Just never used a carbon arc torch on it yet. Sold mine off, so something i won't be trying with it..

Comment

I am guessing that the 15amp spoolgun you are talking about is actually a 15a spoolmatic, the shorter cousin of the 30a spoolmatic(15 feet versus 30 feet). If so, it is as stated above, plug and play for your machine. You can verify this by consulting the Owners Manual for your machine, section 3-11, which is available as a download from the resources section of this site. You can also download the spoolmatic manual to see if the specifications meet your needs.
As for the other issue you created for yourself here, a little free advice which is worth exactly what you pay for it, so you can take it or leave it. Before posting ask yourself this question"Is this useful?" If it is not, abandon the post. Can't say I always take my own advice but I try to do so. Good luck with you machine.---Meltedmetal

Comment

Well I won't be at terrible dutycycles, maybe 40%.
Would the gun hold up spraying 3/64 wire?
And I won't be welding at full amperage a lot, maybe 15% of the time I'll be at 300amps and up.
but mainly 3/16 to 3/8 thickness.